Thursday 9 December 2010 10.07 EST
First published on Thursday 9 December 2010 10.07 EST

The regular Channel 4 News team of Jon Snow and Krishnan Guru-Murthy will be joined by a new face next year as the programme hires its first new regular presenter for 12 years.

Producers want a third high-profile figure to present the show when Snow or Guru-Murthy is away. The move is likely to prompt speculation that the programme is preparing for the succession process when Snow, now 63, eventually retires.

The second presenter's role occupied by Guru-Murthy, who joined the programme in 1998, will be expanded to include more heavyweight interviews and live studio debates, but ITN said Snow's on-screen role would not be diminished.

Channel 4 News deputy editor Martin Fewell said research showed viewers "love the Channel 4 News brand" and "identify hugely with Jon and Krishnan". "They are better known than most of their BBC or ITV counterparts which is frankly out of all proportion to the Channel 4 News audience," Fewell added.

"But it also showed that there was a bit of a [recognition] gap beyond that, to the next presenter. One of the reasons for that is that we do use a lot of presenters – nine over the course of this year, including Jon and Krishnan – and it doesn't help viewers to connect with the programme.

Fewell said he "can't prejudge the gender or the ethnicity" of the new presenter, but said the "key issue" was that they complement the existing presenting pair.

He described Snow as a "huge part of the programme", an "institution" who in "many respects personifies the values of Channel 4 News for our viewers". Asked if the changes had one eye on the succession process when Snow stands down, Fewell said: "No."

Channel 4 News is also looking to make appointments to a number of new on-screen reporting roles, including a social affairs editor.

The science unit is to be reorganised into two new roles – science editor and environment correspondent – and a sports correspondent will be appointed. A handful of existing reporting roles, thought to be fewer than five, will be axed.

Channel 4 News editor Jim Gray said: "One of the things that distinguishes Channel 4 News is the sense of identity and personality that viewers associate with it. We're absolutely committed to ensuring that as our content and agenda evolves, those values remain.

"This time next year, I predict that our programme, lineup and journalism will have evolved in line with news audiences – but it will all still be unmistakably Channel 4 News."

Channel 4 News will also be "piloting new programme formats and ideas in the new year ... building on the participatory success of liveblogging the programme every night and the appeal of events such as its recent live audience show on student fees".

Dorothy Byrne, Channel 4 head of news and current affairs, added: "Channel 4 News is the cornerstone of our commitment to public service broadcasting and these changes will build on the successes of 2010.

"Our experience of launching new online brands such as FactCheck, experimenting with on-air formats and talking to our viewers every single night has given us fantastic insight into what news consumers want."

Staff were told about the changes to the programme today.

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